Four Bangladeshi siblings from Chattogram died inside a car in Oman on Wednesday, casting grief over their hometown of Rangunia.
The incident occurred around 10am (local time) in Moladda area, nearly 100 kilometres from the Omani capital Muscat. Police later recovered the bodies from inside the vehicle.
The deceased were identified as Md Rashed, Md Shahed, Md Siraj and Md Shahid, sons of Abdul Majid of Bandarajarpara area under Ward No. 5 of Lalanagar Union in Rangunia upazila. All four brothers had been working in Oman for several years.
According to family members, two of the brothers were unmarried and were scheduled to return to Bangladesh on 15 May. Relatives said the brothers had gone shopping ahead of one brother’s wedding and were returning to their workplace when the incident occurred.
Omani police initially suspected that toxic gas emitted from the vehicle’s air conditioning system may have caused the deaths, as the car had reportedly been running for a long time. However, authorities are awaiting autopsy and medical reports to determine the exact cause of death.
The sudden death of four brothers from the same family has left the entire Bandarajarpara area in mourning. Grieving relatives and neighbours gathered at the family home as news of the tragedy spread throughout the community.
A local, M Matin, who visited the family residence in Rangunia, told Times of Bangladesh that Enam, a brother of the deceased, suspects the deaths may have been caused either by food poisoning or toxic gas inside the vehicle.
According to the family, one of the brothers had gone live on Facebook from inside the car and mentioned feeling seriously ill. They reportedly attempted to drive to a nearby hospital but died before they could get out of the vehicle.
Matin added that the brothers had been preparing to return home and had completed shopping for upcoming family celebrations. Their mother has reportedly fallen critically ill after losing four sons at once.
Family members, citing information from the Bangladeshi embassy in Oman, said the bodies are currently being kept at a local hospital morgue.
Necessary formalities are underway to send the bodies back to Bangladesh as soon as possible.
